I ordered a cube (not box) of these from a CI weekly special a few months ago. I’ve now smoked about 12 of them and fell I’m ready to give an honest review…

Construction is top notch, like with most Gurkhas. The wrapper is, as you would expect, very dark. Several prominent veins. It’s got double-bands with the “crazy man w/ sword” logo. Overall, a handsome stick.

Flavor is powerful from the pre-light all the way to the end. These are fullest bodied cigars. While I like a strong cigar, I found the lack of complexity the real show stopper for me. These simply taste of strong tar-wood the whole way through. There are some odd and bitter tastes at points too.

These cigars may calm down a bit with age, so I plan to keep a few in the humidor to rest. I think they’ll mature nicely and maybe even gain some complexity in flavor. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this cigar. It may have a place late in the evening after a few other cigars have been smoked and you need something powerful to reach your exhausted taste buds.

LT Rating: 4.0/10

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Nudity, drug abuse, extreme violence…these are elements that are considered when the MPAA dishes out an “R” rating. Well, MPAA Chairman Dan Glickman has added tobacco use to this list. Previously, the MPAA only contemplated underage smoking, but now ANY tobacco use will risk movie-makers getting slapped with an “R” rating.

Given that “G” and “PG” movie ratings are by far the most profitable for the movie studios, I have a feeling we’ll stop seeing tobacco use in all but “R” or “NC-17″ rated movies. And soon, this will trickle down to TV programs.

I’ve always found the entire rating system pointless. Why can’t parents simply parent without relying on some arbitrary self-governance rating? Why does nearly every CD sold have to have a “mature lyrics” sticker on it? When I was growing up, my parents would rent movies and watch them before we were allowed to view it, regardless of the rating. I distinctly remember the first “PG” movie I was allowed to view, “Raiders of the Lost Ark“. Classic. Of course, that movie contained several instances of tobacco use, so today it would get an “R” rating. The first “PG-13″ movie I was allowed to view was “Gremlins“…more tobacco use in this one. In fact, the movie poster featured a Gremlin w/ cigar! Of course, I turned out to be a cigar smoker, so I really have no argument. Movies clearly made me do it. So I plan to file a lawsuit against the MPAA for any issues that ever stem from my nasty little habit they forced me into. If only these rating were around twenty years ago, I would be smoke-free today. BS.

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I sure love a good cigar deal.  I spend countless hours every week scouring the Internet for the best deals.  I’ve decided to create a dynamic page that will be updated daily containing all the current hot deals.  So check it out often, bookmark it, and tell a friend.

New Weekly Specials Page 

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Congratulations to Leafytimes.com for making it one full year! It’s been a great year in gars for us. Our palates have exploded, and we’ve tried literally every cigar that we wanted to try (and, sadly, some we wish we didn’t). A year ago, we were singing the praising of JRcigar.com and raving about Macanudos and Montecristos. Today, it’s Padron 1964s, Cubans, and Opus Xs. Good times. I don’t know if there are any other great gars out there that we haven’t tried, but I’m sure there will be in the future. And one thing’s for sure: leafytimes.com will be around for years to come. God Bless Gars.

Topics Discussed:
One year anniversary of Leafytimes.com
Uncle Moneybags’ semi-retirement extravaganza (yes, I finally made it out)
Home improvement projects (garage floors, wireless internet set up, patching walls, bbq set up, etc.)
Nintendo WII (great system)
Xbox 360 purchase (forthcoming) for Dead Rising and Gears of War
22″ widescreens for computer
Del Taco in foreign lands (Michigan, Toledo Ohio)
VegGar 2007 1.0 (it’s closer than you think)
Becks Light - good cause you can drink 12 and barely feel it

Gars Smoked:
Oliva Serie O Robusto
Maxx Fatty Robustos (x2)
Cuban Partagas
Don Garcia Serie JJ (x2)
Montecristo Serie V Mini Churchill (last one from over a year ago to celebrate the anniversary)
La Flor Dominica L700 (same)
Pryme Toro
La Aurora Preferido Cameroon Robusto (last one from this cherry box)

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The ‘Dry Heat’ Vegas Blog has posted Five Places To Smoke a Cigar in Vegas. This is particularly important to us, The Brothers, as we have a cigar/wedding bash trip planned in Mid-June. We’ve been looking for about 5 good places to torch up some fine stogies. With all the proposed smoking bans, this may be the last time we get to enjoy a smoke in Sin City.

Here They are:

As Reviewed by Fletch

1. Playboy Club — With every visit here, I get more convinced that this must be like what heaven is like. On a recent trip I chilled in a booth and watched a few celebrities play big money blackjack while sipping on straight gin and smoking a cigar. Not to mention the bevy of bunnies Oh yeah, and there were Playboy bunnies all over the place. The decor (above) has this classic, sexy vibe that’s perfect for bringing old-school Vegas alive in a modern environment with a cigar, a cocktail and a bunny tail.

2. Casa Fuente - This cigar bar is an interesting concept located at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. If you recognize the name, it is affiliated with the Fuente family and in fact they roll a special cigar just for this location.

The ban forced smoking from the patio inside the shopping mecca to the inside confines of the cigar bar, but it’s still a welcome oasis. Think about this, while your partner shops, you can chill, light up and even order a mojito. Brilliant.

Mandalay Bay views from the Foundation Room

3. Foundation Room — If you’re the exclusive type and you have a membership to the Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay, you can take the private elevator 43 stories to the top, head to the outdoor balcony and light up while enjoying too-cool-for-words views of the Strip.

Since it’s a private club, I could have easily substituted the public views at VooDoo at Rio or ghostbar at Palms or even the carbon copy of the Foundation’s balcony next door at Mix at THEhotel, but Foundation Room opens its doors to non-members on Monday nights for the Godspeed party. If you go and you got ‘em, smoke ‘em.

4. Scores — This isn’t your typical gentlemen’s club. Sure, there are familiar sights, but the focus here is on indulgence. As an example, the club focuses on wine and champagne instead of the $2 kamikaze shots at other joints and cigars are part of that indulging luxury. In fact, Scores has a ‘robusto’ section for cigars on their website.

5. Havana Cigar Company — There’s a lot of testosterone on this list, so the last spot goes to a chill location at Lake Las Vegas where we can commune with man-made nature. Chicks with sticks are some of the more enticing sights known to man and this location at Montelago Village (they also have a location on Paradise) is a perfect place for unisex smoking.

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Well, there hasn’t been a lot of cigar related news lately other than all the proposed legislation to ban smoking…and every other site out there covers that. I find it a depressing subject, so you won’t find us talking politics here too often. I’ve got some great cigars on order for May and plan to be posting a lot of fresh reviews.

On to the May Poll of the Month. I’ve been smoking cigars pretty regularly now for over two years. In that time, I’ve developed a love (and hate) of several cigar brands. I’ve been following Cigar Jack’s ‘Battle of the Cigars‘ and have noticed some clear trends in favorite brands. Mainly the Arturo Fuente line. For me, you won’t find a better all around cigar company than Arturo Fuente. CAO would be a close second for their slightly more unique lineup of great sticks. I’m curious to see what your favorite brands are. Vote in the poll and post comments here.

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